Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday announced the party will observe a nationwide strike on April 26 (Saturday) against the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza.
Addressing the Gaza Solidarity March in Islamabad, attended by thousands, he slammed Muslim rulers globally for their silence over the genocide in Gaza. In a direct message to Pakistan’s rulers, he warned that if they did not pay heed to the JI’s “million march,” then it would be forced to “do more.”
During his address, Naeem demanded Islamabad allow Hamas to open an office in Pakistan. “Palestinian children are being slaughtered, our rulers are asleep, but the Ummah is wide awake,” he claimed. “We are not afraid of bullets or guns,” he said. “Gaza has been turned into a pile of rubble. I tell the rulers to rise and raise your voice against Israel,” he added.
Lamenting that Gaza was burying 50 bodies every 48 hours, he said any success for the war-torn region was a win for oppressed across the world. He urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to play its role in securing peace.
Describing the U.S. as “a murderous state, backing Israel in its genocide,” he said the JI would announce its future strategy on April 27. He also urged all political forces in Pakistan to unite for Palestine and stressed that no one should think of forging ties with Israel.
“Israel has occupied Palestinian land. In the U.S., youth are rising against their rulers. Meanwhile, neither the government nor the opposition in Pakistan is doing anything,” he lamented, stressing that everyone should unite on the issue of Kashmir and Palestine. “Children are being martyred. Hamas has ensured the safety of hostages, but Israel continues its barbarism against Palestinians in custody. Jihad is obligatory upon Muslims,” he said, vowing that the boycott of Israeli-affiliated products would continue.
“If we truly care for Palestinians, we can give up our favorite foods and drinks,” he said.
Earlier, the JI withdrew from its initial plans to march toward the American Embassy after police negotiated with them to stay out of Islamabad’s Red Zone.